Interactive appliance interface

ABSTRACT

A commercial laundry appliance may include a cabinet having a front panel defining an access opening configured to receive laundry items, at least one sensor configured to detect the presence of a user, a human-machine-interface (HMI) having a display and configured to present information to the user, and a processor configured to instruct the (HMI) to display updated display content in response to the sensor detecting the presence of the user.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Described herein are interactive appliance interfaces.

BACKGROUND

Commercial appliances, including clothes washers, dryers and othercommercial laundry appliances, may include user interfaces configured topresent information to users. The user interface may also be configuredto receive user feedback to control the appliance.

SUMMARY

A commercial laundry appliance may include a cabinet having a frontpanel defining an access opening configured to receive laundry items, atleast one sensor configured to detect the presence of a user, ahuman-machine-interface (HMI) having a display and configured to presentinformation to the user, and a processor configured to instruct the(HMI) to display updated display content in response to the sensordetecting the presence of the user.

A system for updating a display of a commercial appliance, the appliancemay include at least one sensor configured to detect presence of a userat the appliance, a human-machine-interface (HMI) having a display andconfigured to present information to the user, a memory configured tomaintain display content to be presented at the HMI, and a processorconfigured to instruct the HMI to display updated display content inresponse to the sensor detecting the presence of the user and the memoryincluding content not previously presented to the user.

A method for updating a display on an appliance may include receivingappliance data indicative of an appliance mode, determining whether theappliance is in one of an active mode or a standby based on theappliance data, receiving an indication of a trigger event, wherein thetrigger event indicates presence of a user at the appliance, andpresenting content at a display of the appliance in response to theappliance being in the active mode and the trigger event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the present disclosure are pointed out withparticularity in the appended claims. However, other features of thevarious embodiments will become more apparent and will be bestunderstood by referring to the following detailed description inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system diagram for an interactive user interfacefor a commercial appliance;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example display for the user interface of theappliance in the system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example display for the user interface of theappliance in the system of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example display for the user interface of theappliance in the system of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process for operation of the system ofFIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

Commercial laundry appliance may have multiple cycles of operation.These cycles may be controlled and monitored via a user interface on theappliance. The user interface may display certain options, prices, etc.In some examples, the user interface may also display advertisements,greetings, and the like. However, these displays are often defaultdisplays and are not updated, nor customized. To the extent that theuser interface should be updated, the manufacturer of the appliance maybe required to rely on a third-party vender to prepare the content andinstall the updates. If updates to the appliance user interface are notpossible, the manufacturer may be required to rely on other mediums totransmit information to the user, such as the mobile messages, paperadvertising, etc.

Further, appliances that lack easy to use feature may require that theuser have general awareness and know-how of the product or have themeans to access the information. This can lead to improper use of theappliance and lower user satisfaction. For example, the user may desiremore information on certain wash cycles of a washing machine, or certaincooking options on an oven. Certain settings on a refrigerator may alsobe unknown to the user. Users may be required to rely on a servicetechnician, user manual, web browser, etc., to understand theappliances' features and to optimize performance. Thus, the lack ofinteractive or updated information at the appliance is lacking.

Disclosed herein is an appliance having a user interface that is capableof receiving over the air (OTA) data and display updates. Themanufacturer may push updates to each appliance via a cloud network orphysical data connection to the appliance so that the appliance's userinterface may be updated. The updates may be in the form of specificcontent to display as advertisements, usage improvements, seasonalgreetings, periodic discounts, etc. In the event that no updates exist,a default display may be presented. User specific interfaces may also betransmitted and displayed, such as a preferred screen saver, etc. Whenin a connected state with a cloud system, the appliance may inquire viathe cloud whether there are any updates from the manufacturer. Theappliance may do this periodically, or when a user is using or close tothe appliance. The appliance may indicate a trigger event to the cloudsystem. In response to the trigger event, the system may determinewhether a display update is available, and if so, transmit that displayto the appliance. Thus, customizable and easy to update displays may bepresented via the appliance interface, increasing user satisfaction ofthe appliance.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for an interactive user interface 114for an appliance 102, such as a laundry appliance. The appliance 102 maybe a commercial appliance 102 such as a washer or dryer, configured totreat laundry, such as by washing and/or drying clothes and othertextiles and items. While the appliance 102 may be referred to as alaundry appliance throughout, the appliance 102 may include otherappliances such as dishwashers, ice makers, freezers, refrigerators,among others, that include doors or other closable openings.

The appliance 102 may include a cabinet having a front panel 104. Thecabinet may house components typically found in a laundry appliance suchas a laundry drum configured to receive laundry items, as well as achassis, frame, motors, controls, fluid lines, sensors, vents, etc. Thelaundry drum may be configured to receive laundry and rotate about anaxis. In this example, the axis may be relatively horizontal. An accessopening may be defined in the front panel 104 to allow access to thedrum. The access opening may be selectively accessible via the door 106.

The appliance 102 may include the user interface 114 configured toreceive commands from the user in order to operate the appliance 102.The user interface 114 may also include a display 112 or speaker(s) inorder to convey information to the user, such as cycle options, timeremaining, etc. The user interface 114 may also include touch displays,cameras, microphones, gesture sensors, accelerometers, etc., to receivethe user commands. In another example, the user interface 114 may bearranged at a user device, such as the user's smart phone.

The appliance 102 may also include a controller 110 having a processorfor controlling certain cycles, components, etc. The controller 110 maybe electrically connected to signaling interfaces of other components ofthe appliance 102, thereby allowing the processor of the controller 300to manipulate the functions of the appliance 102. For example, thecontroller 110 may be configured to receive user input from the userinterface 114, such as requests to initiate a laundry cycle. Thecontroller 110 may also be configured to control communication todevices (e.g., manufacturer device 132) external to the appliance 102.The processor may include one or more microprocessors,micro-controllers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, centralprocessing units (CPU), graphical processing units (GPU), tensorprocessing units (TPU), field programmable gate arrays, programmablelogic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digitalcircuits, or any other devices that manipulate signals (analog ordigital) based on computer-executable instructions residing in anappliance memory 118.

The appliance memory 118 may include a single memory device or a numberof memory devices including, but not limited to, random access memory(RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory(SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory,or any other device capable of storing information. The non-volatilestorage may include one or more persistent data storage devices such asa hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid-statedevice, cloud storage or any other device capable of persistentlystoring information. The appliance memory 118 may maintain data to bedisplayed on the user interface 114. This data may be updated, as isdescribed herein.

The appliance 102 may have a wireless transceiver (not shown) configuredto transmit and receive digital signals. The appliance 102 may alsoinclude a connection interface 108 configured to enable communicationbetween the appliance 102 and an external device such as a universalserial bus (USB), external hard drive, flash drive etc. In one example,the connection interface 108 may be a USB port configured to receive USBdevices 126 in order to transfer and/or receive digital data. Theconnection interface 108 may include other ports in addition or inalternative to a USB port. For example, the connection interface 108 mayinclude high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), including standard,mini, and micro, Ethernet, mini-USB, micro-USB, USB-A, USB-C, etc.

The system 100 may include a cloud system 130 configured to maintaininformation and communication with the appliance 102 as well as withother manufacturer devices 132. The cloud system 130 may be incommunication with the appliance 102 over a communication network 134.The cloud system 130 includes a cloud server or computing deviceconfigured to maintain information and communicate with the appliance102 over the communication network 134. The communication network 134may be configured to provide communication services, such aspacket-switched network services (e.g., Internet access, voice overInternet Protocol (VoIP) communication services) to devices connected tothe cloud system 130.

The cloud system 130 may be in communication with a database or memory138. The memory 138 may include a single memory device or a number ofmemory devices including, but not limited to, RAM, volatile memory,non-volatile memory, SRAM, DRAM, flash memory, cache memory, or anyother device capable of storing information. Non-volatile storage mayalso be included or in communication with the memory 138 and may includeone or more persistent data storage devices such as a hard drive,optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid-state device, cloudstorage or any other device capable of persistently storing information.The manufacturer device 132 may include devices such as a personalcomputer, mobile device, tablet, etc.

The manufacturer devices 132 may be associated with the manufacturer ofthe appliance 102 and may be remote from the appliance 102. Themanufacturer devices 132 may be used to upload data, such as new displaycontent to the appliance 102. This may be achieved via a hardwiredconnection via the connection interface 108, and/or the cloud system130. The manufacturer devices 132 may include one or more devicesconfigured to receive user input and transmit data. In one example, themanufacturer device 132 may be a smart phone, tablet device, personalcomputer, etc. The manufacturer device 132 may originate or generateupdated content, such as an updated visual. The updated content may beany form of content that may be presented via the user interface 114 onthe appliance 102 to aid in user satisfaction. For example, the displaymay be an advertisement for another manufacturer product that hasrecently been released in the region. The display may be anadvertisement for other laundromat products and/or a description oftheir applications.

In another example, the content may be related to a performanceenhancement where the content is a series of interactive screens orvideos that display unexplored features of the appliance 102 to theusers. This may result in better product performance by the user. Forexample, the content may be a video that explains how to separatelaundry between colors and materials. In another example, the displaymay be a video explaining the differences of the various laundry cyclesand which one to use in which situations. Further, other settings, suchas weather-based settings, and more, may be further explained and taughtby the display.

In a further example, discounts may be presented such as seasonal andpromotional offers to promote usage for certain services or products.Other forms of alerts, such as safety guidelines, weather announcements,Amber alerts, etc., may be displayed. New features may also bedisplayed, such as upgrades to the appliance 102, etc. Default displaycontent may be preloaded in the appliance memory 118 and be displayed inthe absence of an updated display content.

As mentioned, the content may be a screen or series of screens, videos,graphics interchange formats (GIFs), etc., configured to convey somesort of information or presentation to the user. In some example, audioas well as visual content is included in the content. The manufacturermay push out updated content periodically depending on the season,holiday, current events, current products, etc. The manufacturer devices132 may be configured to transmit the displays to the appliance 102 viathe cloud system 130 when the appliance 102 is in a connected state withthe communication network 134. Additionally or alternatively, the datamay be downloaded to the appliance 102 by a physical connection at theconnection interface 108, usually by a service technician. This may bedone via the USB as illustrated in FIG. 1 , but may also be done via awired connection between any computing device or storage device.

The controller 110 of the appliance 102 may be configured toperiodically check for updated content. In a connected state, where theappliance 102 is in communication with the cloud system 130 via thecommunication network 134, the controller 110 may determine whether auser is currently using the appliance 102, and even further, whether theuser's attention is on the appliance 102. This may be determined byvarious user interactions with the appliance 102, these interactionsbeing considered one or more trigger events. One user interaction maysimply be any user interaction with the user interface 114. That is, ifthe user presses a button or touches the display screen, the controller110 may determine that the user's attention is on the appliance 102. Atouch sensor may transmit the trigger event to the controller 110. Inanother example, an opening or closing of the door 106, as detected by adoor sensor 122, may indicate the user's attention. That is, if the doorsensor 122 detects a change in position of the door 106 (e.g., from opento close or from closed to open), the appliance 102 may infer that auser is at the appliance 102.

Further, the presence of a user, as detected by a motion sensor, camera,heat detector, etc., may also indicate the user's attention. Suchtrigger events may cause the appliance 102 to check for updated displays(i.e., new content) so that targeting information may be provided to theuser.

Information is transmitted from the manufacturer device 132 to theappliance 102, the appliance 102 in turn may transmit information to thecloud system 130 as well as to the manufacturer device 132. Theinformation may include appliance data, as well as user data. Theappliance data may indicate a status of the appliance, such as running,washing, drying, another cycle being performed by the appliance 102,whether the appliance 102 needs service, etc. The appliance data mayalso indicate a user interaction or trigger event at the appliance 102as discussed above, though such trigger events may be used solely by theappliance 102 to determine when to display updated content. Furthermore,the appliance data may include information about the last known updatereceived at the appliance 102, such as the last updated display content,etc.

The user data may include data relevant to the user. This may include auser identification. In one example, the user may be identified by a keyassociated with the user and input at the initiation of machine use. Forexample, the user may interact with the appliance 102 via an app on theuser's mobile device. The app may allow the user to pay for use of theappliance 102 services (e.g., a wash cycle, dry cycle, etc.), as well ascontrol the appliance 102. The user may also insert a card having radiofrequency identification, a credit card, or physical item that mayidentify the user, either via the user's account, the user's name, etc.

The appliance 102 may keep track of actions and orders made by the user.This user data may be stored in the appliance memory 118. For example,if the user used the machine to run a delicate cycle, such data may beincluded in the user data. The user data may also include aggregatedata, such as average number of cycles at the appliance 102 for theuser, average dollar amount spent, other purchases, made such asdetergent and softener, etc. This data may be transmitted to themanufacturer device 132 and used to provide contextual updated contentto the appliance 102. For example, if the user routinely purchasesdetergent, then a coupon or advertisement for detergent may be includedin the updated content.

Non-user specific display updates may also be sent, as explained above,including seasonal greetings, such as Merry Christmas, Happy Spring,etc., launches of new features such as payment options or upgrades,smart features; alerts such as Amber alerts; customized screen savers,etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of display content for the user interfaceof the appliance in the system of FIG. 1 . In this example, a holiday orseasonal greeting is displayed, such as “Merry Christmas.”

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of display content for the user interfaceof the appliance in the system of FIG. 1 . In this example, costinformation or advertisement is displayed, such as “Merry Christmas.”

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of display content for the user interfaceof the appliance in the system of FIG. 1 . In this example, a cycleselection menu may be presented, including ordinary, delicate, etc. Eachcycle may include an associate cost. These selectable options may beupdated via the display content update periodically.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 for the system 100 of FIG. 1 .The process 500 may begin at block 505 where the controller 110 mayreceive the appliance data. As explained above, the appliance data mayinclude data related to the appliance 102, such as commands receivedfrom the user interface, sensor data, connectivity, the state of theappliance 102, etc. The appliance data may indicate a mode of theappliance 102, such as standby or idle, and active. The appliance 102may be in active mode when the appliance 102 is in use and standby modewhen it is not.

At block 510, the controller 110 may determine whether the appliance 102is in standby mode. If so, the process 500 may proceed to block 515. Atblock 515, the processor may determine whether the appliance 102 isconnected to the cloud system 130 via the communication network 134. Ifso, the process 500 proceeds to block 520. If not, the process 500proceeds to block 525.

At block 520, the controller 110 may transmit a query to the cloudsystem 130 inquiring whether there are any content updates. This mayinclude display content generated and sent by the manufacturer devices132 since the last update to the appliance 102. This request may be sentat periodic intervals while the appliance 102 is idle. If the controller110 receives a response from the cloud system 130 that that one or moreupdated displays are available, the process 500 may proceed to block535.

At block 535, the controller 110 may receive the updated display contentand store the updated display content and all associated data in theappliance memory 118.

At block 525, the controller 110, in response to not being connected tothe cloud system 130, may determine whether a device is received at theconnection interface 108, such as a USB device 126. If a device, orcable, is detected, the process 500 proceeds to block 540. If not, theprocess 500 proceed back to block 510.

At block 540, the controller 110 receive display content from the USBdevice 126 and determine whether the USB includes at least one updateddisplay content. This may include content generated by the manufacturerdevices 132 and uploaded to the appliance 102 by a technician that hasbeen instructed to do so by plugging in the USB device 126 to theappliance 102. If the controller 110 determines that content for one ormore updated displays is available, the process 500 may proceed to block535.

At block 530, the controller 110, in response to determining that theappliance 102 is not in a standby state, may determine whether theappliance 102 has the attention of the user. This may include waitingfor a trigger event to occur, as described above. If the appliance 102has the attention of the user, the process 500 may proceed to block 550.If not, the process 500 may proceed back to block 510.

At block 550, the controller 110 may display the most recent contentupdate to be visible to the user. As explained, this may be similar toone of the examples shown in FIGS. 2-4 , such as advertisements, usageimprovements, seasonal greetings, periodic discounts, etc.

Accordingly, an interactive HMI system for an appliance 102 isdisclosed. The system may include receiving data and displayinginformation on the HMI of the appliance 102 based on user and appliancedata. The information may include advertainments, usage improvements andsuggestions, seasonal discounts, festive wishes or announcement,upcoming launches, safety guidelines, customized screen savers, etc.Default information may also be provided. The updated display contentmay be received from a manufacturer OTA or via a hard wired connectionat the appliance 102. The new content may be displayed in response tothe presence by the user being detected, such as an opening or closingof the appliance door, and/or user interaction with the HMI. Notably,the new content may be content that was downloaded to the appliance 102while the appliance 102 was in standby mode, and then displayed to theuser while the appliance 102 is in the active mode. The content may benew content not previously presented to the user.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention.

For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the device as oriented in FIG. 1 . However, itis to be understood that the device may assume various alternativeorientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to thecontrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices andprocesses illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in thefollowing specification are simply exemplary embodiments of theinventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specificdimensions and other physical characteristics relating to theembodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting,unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented forpurposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variationswill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied as a system, methodor computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or“system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take theform of a computer program product embodied in one or more computerreadable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodiedthereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium include the following: an electrical connection havingone or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM) or Flash memory, an optical fiber, a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, amagnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium maybe any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A commercial laundry appliance, comprising: acabinet having a front panel defining an access opening configured toreceive laundry items; at least one sensor configured to detect presenceof a user; a human-machine-interface (HMI) having a display andconfigured to present information to the user; and a processorconfigured to instruct the HMI to display updated display content inresponse to the sensor detecting the presence of the user.
 2. Theappliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a door sensor configured todetect a change in position of a door of the appliance indicating thepresence of the user.
 3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor isa touch sensor at the HMI configured to receive user interactionindicating the presence of the user.
 4. The appliance of claim 1,wherein the updated display content is content received from amanufacturer over a cloud network.
 5. The appliance of claim 1, furthercomprising a connection interface configured to receive a device andwherein the updated display content is content received from the deviceat the connection interface.
 6. The appliance of claim 5, wherein theconnection interface is a universal serial bus (USB) port.
 7. Theappliance of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured todetermine whether the updated display content includes new content notstored in a memory of the appliance.
 8. A system for updating a displayof a commercial appliance, the appliance comprising: at least one sensorconfigured to detect presence of a user at the appliance; ahuman-machine-interface (HMI) having a display and configured to presentinformation to the user; a memory configured to maintain display contentto be presented at the HMI; and a processor configured to instruct theHMI to display updated display content in response to the sensordetecting the presence of the user and the memory including content notpreviously presented to the user.
 9. The appliance of claim 8, whereinthe sensor is a door sensor configured to detect a change in position ofa door of the appliance indicating the presence of the user.
 10. Theappliance of claim 8, wherein the sensor is a touch sensor at the HMIconfigured to receive user interaction indicating the presence of theuser.
 11. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the updated display contentis content received from a manufacturer over a cloud network.
 12. Theappliance of claim 8, further comprising a connection interfaceconfigured to receive a device and wherein the updated display contentis content received from the device at the connection interface.
 13. Theappliance of claim 12, wherein the connection interface is a universalserial bus (USB) port.
 14. A method for updating a display on anappliance, comprising: receiving appliance data indicative of anappliance mode; determining whether the appliance is in one of an activemode or a standby based on the appliance data; receiving an indicationof a trigger event, wherein the trigger event indicates presence of auser at the appliance; and presenting content at a display of theappliance in response to the appliance being in the active mode and thetrigger event.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the trigger eventincludes receiving a signal from a door sensor indicating a change inposition of an appliance door.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein thetrigger event includes receiving a signal from a HMI of a userinteraction.
 17. The method of claim 14, further comprising sending arequest to a cloud service for updated display content in response tothe appliance being in standby mode.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe updated display content is new content not previously presented tothe user.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the updated displaycontent includes one or more of audio content or visual content.
 20. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the content is based on user data receivedby the appliance.